Shloka 2
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
देवता बोले--प्रभो! आपने जिसे वर दे रखा है, वह तारक नामक असुर देवताओं और ऋषियोंको बड़ा कष्ट दे रहा है। अतः उसके वधका कोई उपाय कीजिये ।।
devatā ūcuḥ—prabho! āpne jise vara de rakhā hai, vah tāraka-nāmaka asura devatāoṃ aur ṛṣiyoṃ ko baṛā kaṣṭa de rahā hai; ataḥ uske vadha kā koī upāya kījiye. tasmād bhayaṃ samutpannam asmākaṃ vai pitāmaha; paritrāyasva no deva, nānyā gatir asti naḥ.
Les dieux dirent : «Seigneur, l’asura nommé Tāraka —à qui tu as jadis accordé une grâce— accable cruellement les dieux et les rishis. Aussi, imagine quelque moyen de le détruire. De là est née en nous une grande crainte, ô Grand-Père. Protège-nous, ô Divin, car nous n’avons nul autre refuge.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power granted through boons must ultimately align with dharma; when a boon-holder becomes a source of adharma and suffering, the divine order seeks a lawful remedy. The verse also highlights śaraṇāgati—turning to a higher authority as the final refuge when all other options fail.
The gods, distressed by the asura Tāraka’s oppression of both devas and ṛṣis, approach the ‘Grandfather’ (Brahmā) and plead for protection and a means to bring about the demon’s death, stating they have no other refuge.